US Army Corps of Engineers

BUILDING STRONG®

Sources Sought

Kay Baltz

Deputy, Small Business Program

Walla Walla District Army Corps of

Engineers

March 20 & 25, 2014

BUILDING STRONG®

“SOURCES SOUGHT”

NOTICES

Are they important?

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What is it?

The purpose of a Sources Sought Notice is to

determine if there are two (2) or more capable

Small Businesses that can perform the

requirements of a planned contract.

For this reason, it is vitally important for Small

Businesses to respond to Sources Sought

Notices with an effective Capability Statement.

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WHAT IS A SOURCES SOUGHT

NOTICE?

Method of “market research”

Synopsis posted in FEDBIZOPPS

Invitation for interested parties to respond

Summarizes requirements

Requests capability statement

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Common Purposes

Is there anybody capable of performing

the work?

Is there competition available?

Are there 2 or more capable small

businesses in any category?

Intent may be to make a sole source

award or set-aside…

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COMMON INFORMATION

Solicitation hasn’t been issued

Required response date (typically is 10 days)

Contracting office address

Point of contact name, e-mail & telephone

NAICS & size standard

Brief description, scope, & size of requirement

Period of performance

Place of performance

Special qualifications needed, if any ( i.e. ISO / bonding or security

clearances etc.)

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COMMON GUIDANCE

Include business category

Page limitations (i.e. Limit response to (8) 8x11 pages)

Do not submit cost proposal

Submittal instructions

No payment for response

Response does not guarantee award nor exclude / include you in the

acquisition process

Capability elements

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COMMON CAPABILITY

ELEMENTS

Technical capability

►Example:

• Provide test data/reports/documentation indicating

your products meets requirements

• Provide proof that your firm can perform similar

technical work with similar level of effort in hours &

dollars

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COMMON CAPABILITY ELEMENTS

(continued)

Related past performance

► Example: Provide information demonstrating that your firm has

successfully performed similar work for at least 12 consecutive

months within the past 5 years with a contract value of at least

$550,000 per year.

Related experience

► Relates to personnel – name person and what their duties are.

(Do not use same person for 2 key elements. That tends to be

too much.)

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HOW TO RESPOND

Choose notices you respond to carefully

► Know the customer – who is the customer? (It’s not usually the

contracting officer)

Read the notice closely

DO NOT SUBMIT

► Brochure

► “Canned” response

Prepare a tailored, complete submittal

Turn synopsis into a checklist

► Once you’re sure that you’ve answered each item fully from your

checklist

• Edit & make sure final revisions are clean / clear and crisp

• Make your submittal the same: clean / clear and crisp

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HOW TO RESPOND

Think of your response as a marketing tool. (But make sure that it is

tailored to a notice)

Failure to respond to all elements can cause your response to be

determined as “not responsive”

► Doesn’t mean that you are “not responsible”

► Doesn’t mean that you are “not capable”

No second chances on sources sought notices

► Notices are not “reopened”

► No negotiations or discussions

► No debriefing required

► Cannot be protested

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Sample

“Interested concerns are requested to address the

following specific requirements from the PWS.”

This statement, if included in the notice, will be followed

by a short list of special requirements that are

mandatory, “GO” or “NO GO.”

You must demonstrate your existing capability, or

your potential to acquire capability, to meet this list of

requirements by the time of the contract award date.

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Suggestion

Use as much of the allowed space for high-

quality content and exposition as possible.

If allowed 4 pages, use all 4 pages, not 3 ½.

Emphasize your company’s technical

capabilities, staffing plan, transition plan/risk

mitigation plan, employees’ relevant

qualifications, etc.

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. Explain how you will meet the 50% or

more requirement to perform the tasking

with your own employees and new

hires, the labor categories you plan to use

within your company and the relevant

experience and credentials your

employees have to offer.

Explain what labor categories will be

covered via subcontracting and the

relevant experience and credentials your

subcontractor(s) will supply.

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Think of a Capability

Statement… as an extremely condensed technical and

management proposal,

with evidence of past performance,

but with no cost section

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In responding to the ability to manage section

of the Sources Sought Notice

Performing the tasking and managing

the tasking are very different.

Stating your company has performed

75% of the effort under another

contract does not demonstrate your

company can manage the effort.

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Many capability statements submitted by

Small Businesses

spend 100% of the space for this part of

the response demonstrating that their

team can manage a business,

but not demonstrating what is actually

wanted by technical reviewers –

demonstration that you can manage this

specific kind of tasking.

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Recommendation

25% of the space to be used for business

management experience,

75% for Specific tasking management

experience.

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For the “Technical Ability”

section, Describe specific approach to how you will

meet requirements described in the

SOW/PWS.

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HOW NOTICES ARE

EVALUATED? Does technology exist? (if applicable)

Does competition exist

►Are there at least two or more companies?

►Which small business categories or factors?

Capabilities evaluated

►Usually on a “go” or “no-go” basis

• Any one “no-go” will bump you out of the running

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Only what is provided will be

considered! The Government Reviewers are only

allowed to evaluate what you provide in

the capability statement.

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*Tip

Address your company’s experience or

capability to perform

And/or potential to acquire capability by

the time of contract award date.

If you don’t address the capability,

chances are the technical reviewer will

determine ‘not capable’

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“Capacity”

the ability to handle the magnitude of the

tasking, the amount of equipment or

facilities involved, and the size of the staff

needed.

explain how you can add another contract

to the existing work load.

Which labor categories will be available

from the existing labor pool.

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Labor Capacity

Explain your plan to find and attract

contingent hires.

provide the names of labor categories and

correlate these positions to the

experience/education of the existing

employees who you will use to fill the

positions, and/or who you will hire to fill the

positions.

Do not provide individuals’ names.

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Facility Capacity

be sure to address these even if at present

you don’t possess them

potential to acquire capability is

considered, assessed, and given credit

when it is demonstrated.

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Small Businesses need to

help each other get

solicitations set

aside for Small Business

competition!

The Deputy for Small Business cannot

get large contracts (over $150K) set

aside for competition, but, working

together, Small Businesses can!

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END RESULT

Acquisition strategy determined

►Sole source award, if appropriate

►Set-aside under FAR Part 19

►Full & open competition

Anyone eligible may then compete

►Whether you responded or not to sources

sought